Not only do I love celebrating mom-owned businesses, I love when people come up with simple, innovative ways to make time with my kids more fun and engaging. Each of the following businesses is doing just that. Please join me in spreading the word about these innovative small businesses that are the brainchild of moms like us. (And, hey, consider it a bonus if you get a holiday gift idea or two along the way…)

Amy’s Intro:I’ve heard great things about Little Passports for awhile now, and recently discovered that it’s a mom-owned business. This monthly subscription service engages kids with each delivery, allowing them to learn about and “travel” to various places around the world, or the United States. The yearly subscription is a great idea for a holiday gift, and at just $12-15 for a monthly subscription, it could even be a fun birthday gift for a friend.

What inspired you to start your business?
I met my Co-Founder, Stella Ma, while we were working at eBay. We started having children at the same time and wanted to do something that allowed us to have a large impact, and that was having a positive effect on the world. We quickly realized that we shared a passion around teaching children about the world. I spent my childhood moving every 3 years between the US and England, and had many experiences in which children didn’t know where England was, or Europe for that matter. We believe very strongly that by teaching children about the world, they will learn to appreciation the differences in other cultures rather than be afraid of them.

What’s one of the most rewarding things about your business?
Little Passports teaches children about the world. Every day, we are able to impact children. Some of my favorite moments include hearing that a little girl wanted to become an archeologist after receiving our Egypt package, and another little boy tried sushi for the first time. Hearing how excited kids get about their packages is so rewarding.

This week’s mom “high”:
My Co-Founder and I recently were awarded Ernst and Young’s Winning Women award for entreprenuership. The award ceremony was fun, but the 80s theme night may have been even better. I was reunited with the DeLorean, Twinkies, and Ring Pops!

This week’s mom “low”:
I’m a single mom and while trying to replace my smoke alarms at 2am I realized that I don’t have a ladder. I quickly, and painfully, learned that the ladder to my children’s bunkbed, was not, in fact, a sturdy ladder propping it against a wall.

Amy’s Intro:Back in April, my friend sent me an email to share that her friends, also local moms, had just launched an app to make entertaining your kids more fun. Using this free app, you can flip through a bunch of activity ideas that can be done with either no supplies, or things you can find in nature/your home. I find it’s great for waiting rooms when I just can’t play one more game of “I Spy”.

What inspired you to start your business?Krista: I wanted to improve playtime with my girls. At the end of the day, I’m low on creativity, but I want some together time before the dinner-bath routine begins. The same old toys are uninspiring, and I don’t have the time or patience to scour the Internet. So I thought about an app that would deliver quick, fresh ideas for simple activities to help me engage with my girls and make their eyes light up — even for just 15 minutes. I mentioned my idea while hanging out with my next-door neighbors Marijane and her husband, Brian, and we realized that we had the skills to make it happen.

What’s one of the most rewarding things about your business?
When our kids ask to use the app. They say, “Let’s Cakewalk!” Also, our older kids like to suggest ideas to put in the app. They’re very proud.

This week’s mom “high”:Krista: Emily is potty training and pooped her pants at the park. She was wearing a skirt, and let’s just say that her underwear wasn’t very fitting. Oh boy! I mustered everything I had to not be mad. I realized that she was very vulnerable, so I wasn’t going to let my embarrassment hurt her little feelings. After all, everybody poops! So I borrowed a few wipes while sharing a laugh about the craziness of parenting and quickly whisked her home to the bath. I will remember the moment forever, and I’m thankful for that.

Marijane: When my daughter told me she liked what I made for dinner. She’s not picky. It’s just rare that I get a compliment on the food. I’m usually saying, “Please eat. I worked hard to make this.”

This week’s mom “low”:Krista: My low every week is getting upset over the littlest things. As soon as the words are coming out of my mouth in a tone I ask the girls not to use, I’m regretting every single syllable. Ah! Why am I yelling when I ask them to use friendly words on a daily basis? I see where they learned it!

Marijane: Listening to my son cry all the way to preschool because I didn’t drive the route that he wanted. I had let him pick the day before but didn’t think to this time. Lesson learned: Three-year-olds assume any power you give them is theirs forever.

You should know…
We’re working on an Android version of the app. Stay tuned!

Amy’s Intro: I had the pleasure of working with Layla at Yahoo!. She was an active, engaged writer for Yodeling Mamas—the blog I ran which featured writing from moms who worked at Yahoo!. I’ve loved watching as her idea for an app quickly grew into Bay Area cooking/cultural classes, a thriving blog with recipes and accompanying lessons about the region, products, and, of course, an app in the making.

What inspired you to start your business?
Two years ago, while traveling in East Germany, I was rushed into surgery due to an ectopic pregnancy, and the doctors told me I may not live. It hit me that I was about to leave this world without having realized my full potential. After surviving, I picked my grandmother’s brain about Persian cooking and the stories that went with her recipes, and eventually committed to my goal (she has since passed away, and we miss her dearly). Since my background was in app development at SAP, I decided to start there. But as I shared fun facts and social issues affecting kids in areas where our recipes came from—and posted them on my blog—that’s when the business evolved and grew.

What’s one of the most rewarding things about your business?
Kids simply love being involved in the kitchen, and it’s rewarding to see them eat healthy meals—full of vegetables—usually in front of their shocked parents. I also love that both parents and kids learn new and interesting facts about various countries, and are encouraged to take action towards positive change.

This week’s mom “high”:
As my daughter opened up all of her birthday gifts, she selected a few toys and told me, “Mom, you should give the rest of the toys to kids in Argentina whose parents cannot afford to buy them toys for Christmas.” (We had just learned about the inflation in Argentina through Chef Koochooloo!)

This week’s mom “low”:
As we were walking, I reassured my daughter that yes, Santa thought she’d been good this year. Then she clapped her hands in happiness and said, “That means he will get me what I want. Right, Mom?” I nodded yes, without hesitation, then she said, “Great! Because I asked Santa to give me a little sister, even a brother will be ok, and I promise to share all of my toys with him.”

You should know…
Some investors have encouraged us to change our name, but I like the fact that a word so dear to many Iranians, Turks, and Italians can get world recognition through our curriculum. Koochooloo means petit in an affectionate way in those languages, and since our concept is all about education, we hope to keep the name and let all nationalities have fun pronouncing it.

Amy’s Intro:While I get a lot of pitch emails, I love hearing about local moms doing cool things. So when Marcy reached out and I realized we lived in the same community, I couldn’t wait to feature her. My kids love puzzles and the books Marcy gifted me to try were a huge hit on our recent road trip. Even when we got home, Pink woke up in the morning begging to do her “sodoki!”. While Big was really excited about actually solving the puzzles, Pink just loved the fun stickers and grids. (Bonus for local people: You can buy these at everyone’s favorite toy store, Cheeky Monkey, in Menlo Park.)

What inspired you to start your business?
My children were interested in puzzles and love stickers, and I wanted to make puzzle solving fun and easy for a child who couldn’t really write yet.

What’s one of the most rewarding things about your business?
Seeing children so excited about the books and feeling proud at being able to solve the puzzles.

This week’s mom “high”:
My daughter confiding in me over social pressures in school.

Amy’s Intro:My years of motherhood have taught me that working with little ones on social and emotional development is no simple task. I love the idea of personalized books so kids can not only relate to the story, but feel like their parents really understand and support them.

What inspired you to start your business?Susan: I was introduced to a tool that helped my fussy two year old wean off of the pacifier. The transition was so much quicker and easier than my husband and I had feared. I realized that the concept could be modified to help with a whole range of childhood/parenting issues and offer parents some relief from the mountain of challenges that they face.

What’s one of the most rewarding things about your business?Susan: We strive to make life easier for parents, caregivers and educators by offering them simple tools that can be used to help with a broad range of childhood development issues.

This week’s mom “high”:Jen: My seven year old had a nasty cold and by some miracle nobody else in the family got sick!

Susan: My six-year old let me sleep in for three days in a row! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa 🙂

This week’s mom “low”:Jen: My three-year-old son Miko announced at a party that mommy didn’t have a penis!

Susan: My son broke down in tears after running through the airport and eventually missing our connection. We had to spend a night in Mexico City rather than with Grandma and Grandpa.

You should know…
Stepping Stories currently has a library of six personalized books, available in ebook or print. We have a list of many more that will be released over the next few months. We also offer gift certificates for the holidays. Every mom knows another mom in need, so it’s easy to give the gift of relief this holiday season.

Stepping Stories is a benefit corporation, a corporation that considers society and the environment instead of just the bottom line.

Many thanks to each of these savvy moms and business women for taking the time to work with me on this post. I wish each of you continued success and growth!